Every Moment Spent
by ofshoyos
Summary: In this universe, everyone was born into the world with a mark of a single flower bud imprinted on their body. It was foretold that by the time a person meets their soulmate, the bud would then begin to bloom and then, from that moment onward, every single interaction of theirs would make an impact on the bud. Hinata Shoyo was born into the world with not one but two flower buds.
1. Prologue

**BEFORE READING:** Please take note that from the prologue until the second latest chapter, there may be some changes to be made. I've committed a mistake of not portraying the educational system in a university correctly, but nonetheless, the changes will not be major as it does not affect the plot greatly. Thank you.

* * *

 **FULL SUMMARY:**

In this universe, everyone was born into the world with a mark of a single flower bud imprinted on their body. It was foretold that by the time a person meets their soulmate, the bud would then begin to bloom and then, from that moment onward, every single interaction of theirs would make an impact on the bud.

Hinata Shoyo was born into the world with not one but two flower buds of different colors, blue and orange, on his collarbone.

"Who?"

"That guy over there, standing under the tree! Do you know him?"

"Hinata."

"What?"

"No one is standing there."

* * *

"Mom, what is this mark?"

One day, a child directed his mother's hand to the enigma placed on his collar, brushing it softly against the skin where the mark was implanted. His eyes, a remarkable shade of amber, had lightened up due to sheer excitement, and the smile worn matched with the nest of his vibrant colored hair. It was natural, for him being a child and one so young, his curiosity would always be at the peak. Each day, he'd load numerous sets of questions at his mother and some sounded even ridiculous. This was one of those days.

Yet, his mother was kind enough to be patient, satisfying the little one by giving him her answers in a calming tone. "Oh, this mark?" She smiled, a finger gently tracing about the imprinted buds, and Shoyo could merely breathe out a laughter in response. He nods, nonetheless, his chin by then tilting up further as he continued to grin from ear to ear.

"This is a soulmate mark, Shoyo."

He perked up, curiosity now highlighting his features as he watched his mother moved about without much effort. Soulmate? That was a word he never once heard, and so, he asked for one more time. "What's a soulmate?"

"A soulmate..." Shoyo could tell, his mother was fumbling around in search for proper words to give an easily understandable explanation for a child. In exchange for dealing with his countless questions, he waited for her answer which was quite hard for him, a bit jarring, but that was due to the fact that Shoyo was not one of the most patient children.

"They're— they're someone who you can spend your whole life with." She finally said, easing him with his little to none patience. "They're someone who you will love with forever." Then that clicked a familiar image in his head.

"Oh! Like you and dad? Does that mean you both also have a mark?" His mother nodded at the question with another one of her warm smiles. "We do. But you," She proceeded to say, caressing a thumb against his cheeks, "You have a very special mark."

"I do?"

"You do."

Hinata Shoyo, a child of naivety and figurative sunshine, didn't hesitate in believing what his mother has said. He was special, he believed that he was.

For how long he could remember, Shoyo had a mark imprinted on the patch of his collarbone since birth. As made ascertained by his mother, his mark definitely was unique for every time someone managed a glimpse of his mark, they'd surely tell him that it was beautiful without missing a beat— and he wouldn't agree more. Said mark consisted of not only one but two flower buds with their veins interlaced on his skin. They varied from each other vastly in terms of colors; one being a brilliant color of an oceanic hue and the other being a lovely shade of an apricot. By special, he supposed that it was a form of a blessing.

They may have yet to grow, but it was a clear indication that his encounter with his supposedly soulmate continued to remain at the ticking hands of the clock away. Shoyo couldn't wait to see them grow, but at the meantime, he was scared. How was his soulmate like, he wondered? Would they be kind? How would they look like?

However, that wasn't what mostly bothered him. What bothered him the most was how so often he had to hear the hushed words of amazement and envy along with judging glances being thrown at his way.

He never expected that this blessing soon became a curse.

Out of spite, few rumors had ignited about him and the consequences he was left to deal with the whispers made behind his back. Shoyo remained to have faithful friends, albeit lacking in numbers, they were the ones who would help standing up for him and honestly, he could never thank them enough.

"I don't get why do they have to start rumors about me..."

"You know what they say about haters. They're just jealous of you."

Shoyo immediately nodded with them in agreement.

It was during the prime time in his elementary school when Shoyo found a resolution by covering the mark. Scarves did a plentiful job, despite it arousing suspicions from both his household and his teachers. If questioned, he would only brush them off by saying that he felt cold even under the scorching hot weather. So long as he doesn't have to encounter the unpleasant experience of being stared at again, he was fine with this.

It didn't stop the rumors though, but of course, as this was Hinata Shoyo and being Hinata Shoyo, he wasn't one to back down so easily. There were no smart comebacks made along the way but the redhead would more often than not make up for it by trying to defend himself at the very least.

And so, years flew by and Shoyo grew up to become fascinated with sculpture.

The fascination started with a project conducted during arts class. Throughout the whole procedure, Shoyo found that, although complicated, the process of sculpting various objects were fun. With these dainty hands, small might they be, he discovered that his talents lied in having a few tools wedged in their grip and carving materials such as wood. He had a vague idea of what he'd like his career choice to be since then.

It took time, but after several considerations and matters needed to be handled, it was only recently when a university, which offered him a Sculpture Course that he was extensively interested in, sent him a letter of acceptance. The decision was made by then. He was going to move away from his home— away and far from his family and childhood friends.

* * *

Who would have known that the airport could be this cold? Certainly not him; after all, this was his first time being in one which in return concluded that this was his first departure flight. It was early in the morning, and therefore, it'd be understandable why he was wearing a coat and a scarf, an arm hooked around himself in attempt of warming himself up. He stands nearby a vending machine, perching against one of the railings with a hot cup of chocolate stirring in his hold as he took a few sips.

"He's nervous." A familiar voice disrupted his train of thoughts and instantly, Shoyo turned only to smile at the sight of his two childhood friends.

"Don't tell me that you're planning to back out when you've gone through all the hard work to get here." Izumi teased.

"I'm— I'm not!" He tried to defend himself. Keyword being tried. It was an automatic response, purely out of instincts like how he often did when it calmed down to objecting rumors except that this time, it wasn't a lie. His cheeks felt on fire, it must be red, but if Shoyo had any statement in this, it'd be due to the cold and definitely not because of is embarrassment.

"He definitely is." Koji retaliated, earning a groan from the ginger-head.

"I told you, I'm not." He was whining right now, pouting slightly at both his friends as they grinned at him. But they're not wrong; **Shoyo is nervous.** In fact, he had spent the last few days being all fidgety and anxious in thinking about the day which was today. His stomach boiled with the familiar sensation of flutters, and he was visibly trembling even in his thick layers of clothes that ought to keep him warm. This is probably going to sound cheesy, but he eventually find that there was nothing more that could keep him warm than the thought of being at home.

Home, his heart ached, a place where his heart lies within the arms of his family and friends. He's going to have to leave them behind for a while.

"— I'm going to miss you all." He suddenly spoke up, capturing his friends' attention. They stared at one another, letting their emotions to speak through their heated gazes under the silence filled of whirred air conditioners. Then they broke into a smile.

As peaceful as the tranquility is, it didn't last for long when another familiar voice— a child— shrieked and running towards him. "Brother!"

Arms pried open, Shoyo found himself in an undeniably tight grip as he effortlessly picked up the said child. Yet he filed no complaints, simply flashed a smile as his arms glided around his younger sibling to return the embrace.

"Natsu." He grinned, looking down at her. On the other hand, Natsu was busy trying to settle herself in for a comfortable position while she was held up by her brother. She stopped squirming at some point, glancing upwards to meet the gaze of her brother's before hastily burying her face against his shoulder. Shoyo frowned at seeing this.

"... How long will you be there?" He heard her muffling into his shoulder, the little hands at the back of his neck squeezing only bit more. It hurts, but he was willing to feign that he was okay because he doesn't want to make Natsu more sad than she already was.

"Only for a while." He answered, a bit reluctant in his answers. "I'm going there to continue my studies."

"Will you come back?" It was an innocent question, he knew but it still took him by surprise. His eyes trailed downward, uncertain of what to expect but the sight of his sister with tears pooled at the corner of her eyes shattered a bit more of his aching here. It'd be a valid statement to say that Shoyo had not known what to do nor speak what kind of words in order to comfort his sister. After all this was different than the times he ever comforted her. This was different compared to the times where he comforted her at night after she experienced a nightmare or whenever she fell ill and was forced to stay in bed. He almost feels guilty somehow for putting her into this situation.

"Hey." He started with a soft voice, crouching down slowly to put her on the ground. No words were exchanged them for a while, but that was only because Shoyo busied himself in wiping away the tears his sister wept. He tried to consult her, he really did but even he was on the edge of being emotional. He wasn't going to see Natsu for a long while. "You shouldn't cry. When I come back, we can play together for as much as you want then. I promise."

This seemed to have stopped her sobs, and that should be more than enough. He waited, getting a little bit impatient when Natsu didn't reply but his eyes grew soft when he sees Natsu peeking behind from the small fists she raised. "Promise?" Shoyo couldn't resist. He pulled her in, hugging more tightly with the words of "I promise." flowing out of his mouth. He's going to miss this, he thinks, he's going to miss spending time together with his little sister.

'Attention to all passengers of flight 10 with the destination heading towards Kyoto, Japan.' The announcement rang throughout the airport. 'The departure gate is now open for boarding, please proceed to the gate now.'

"Shoyo. That's your flight."

He turned, coming face to face with his parents who wore a proud smile laced with a tinge of sadness. He supposed that it was normal, they won't be seeing his son for about four years if not more. Shoyo opted to remain optimistic, nonetheless. He's going to be gone for only four years anyway, he's sure that it'll seem like everything had passed by in a blink of an eye.

"I'll come back to visit you all for Christmas, kay?" He gives his parents a tight hug before taking a couple of steps back.

Then he takes in a deep breath, thrusting the warm cup of chocolate lightly to Koji before one of his hands find its way to take hold of his light luggage, the wheels waiting to be rolled away. He hasn't even made a step yet but already, he was bombarded by farewell wishes and waving gestures.

"Be safe, Shoyo."

"Make sure come back in one piece!"

"Have fun!"

Shoyo didn't hesitate to take the warmhearted sight in for as much as he liked.

Soon, he was off, his feet taking the lead of where he was going as he waved goodbye to his significant others. His heart was thrumming heavily against his chest in anticipation, and he was feeling so many things at once; excitement, a sense of freedom, and sadness. In that single moment, he briefly wondered about what the future hold in store for him.

* * *

Travelling alone, so far, hadn't been relatively **easy**. Not when you don't look like your age. **Literally**.

Shoyo, obviously, was no longer a child, he long ventured further into the mid stages of puberty as he's nearly twenty of age. Even so, his childish features were still retained, and the fact that his height is short and he hit a growth spurt didn't help much. The truth is, he could easily be mistaken as a child no older than twelve and he could be treated as one.

He's mumbling, but he knows how to restrain himself as he lent the cab driver the exact amount of money that he needed to pay from the pocket after driving him to the university where he applied for. The cab drives away, the earlier incidents leaving a bit of scorching taste in his mouth as he recalled how many people mistaken him for a lost child. But that's in the past now, even so, he's bound to be mistaken as one again if it's like this.

Now, the next problem comes the luggage. They were huge and heavy, to be exact but only because his mother insisted him in bringing more clothes so he didn't have to go through the trouble in buying new ones. Either way, his main concern was more of how is he going to carry all of them at the same time? He can't make two trips, he's afraid that someone will take away one of the baggage he left behind if he was to return to take it.

In the end, Shoyo somehow managed to carry them all at once. He was within his university campus, and from the looks of it, there were barely anyone there to question his odd method of carrying bags. It didn't take long until he reached the administration office— or so did the bolded letters above the doors said— and thinking that it was now safe to leave his baggage alone at the meantime he's gone, he slides past through the door.

And he's glad that he did, because he was was completely entranced by the structure and architecture of the indoors could be comparable to a museum. When his eyes laid upon a skillfully crafted sculpture sitting on its throne and showcased as a prized trophy, he had to gape, mesmerized and in awe. He's itching to feel the texture of the sculpture under the tip of his skin, but the sign **'DO NOT TOUCH'** was there to prevent him from doing anything. Suddenly, like an engine whirred to life, he feels determined— a smile coming to spread on his face when he remembers that he has been given the opportunity to further enhance his abilities as a sculptor.

Without a delay, he strode away to the counter, a question on the tip of his tongue when the woman at the desk interrupted him before he could even ask.

"Here to take your schedule for the upcoming week?" His words died down, surprised that the woman knew what he was about to say, but he doesn't say anything, only nodding at her question.

"Are you a first year for this year's batch?"

"Y-yes."

Few papers stapled in a set were presented to him, and he took it, slowly, but not without confusion settling in as he watched the woman immediately rushing off to another place without having to hear a word from him. It's weird, he thinks but he decided to disregard the thought as he skimmed through the papers in check for his schedule. But what was the content surprised him. He frowned upon knowing that this was not his personal timetable ( that must have explained how quick it had taken ) but rather, the required credentials for new registries and the schedule for first few days.

"Orientation? For three days?" He squinted his eyes at the word, failing to notice someone had approached him from behind.

"Orientation—" Shoyo yelped, twirling around just in time to see a stranger. "— is the time when you'll be introduced to your tutor group and have few activities together led by the seniors. The purpose for this to get you all warmed up before the early semester begins."

Said stranger was no more than a young man whom appeared to be older than him, his hair being color of thin silver, and the smile etched on his countenance was undeniably both blinding and angelic. "Hello." He greeted, and Shoyo just had to gulp upon hearing the lace of sweetness in his tone. "Are you new around here?"

"Y-yes! M-my name is Hinata Shoyo, and I-I plan to become one of the greatest sculptors! I mean, eek!" And he may have replied a tad bit louder than he should have because the man is staring at him confusedly. Oh god, never before he embarrassed himself like this in front of a person he never met, and for what seemed like a thousandth time, he felt like digging himself a grave.

"Sculpture, hm? That's an interesting goal you have there. Well, I wish you luck!" Yet heard no judgement from his part, all that was present in his tone was the man's sincerity. He's relieved, but he's curious now, to know more about who could this man be; given that he was in the university campus, he could only assume that they might be seeing each other more often.

"Ah, thank you— um— and you are?"

"Sugawara Koushi." The latter quickly draws out a paper from a folder on the desk. "I'm in the final year of university." He flashed a grin at him, but Shoyo was too busy comprehending the fact this person was his senior. Looks like they'll definitely see each other around for sometime.

"Well then, I have to go now. I look forward to see you during the orientation days."

"W-wait!" Shoyo blurted out before even realizing it. When the other's gaze landed on him, that was then he did, and he wanted to hit himself for the second time. Why had he asked him to wait— that was an enigma and an oddity in its purest form. He tried to rack over his brain to say something— anything— that could save him from his embarrassment.

"Do you—" Oh, come on. "Do you mind if I asked you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?"

No. Truth be told, Shoyo didn't have any question in mind. Again, it was only to save himself from his skin, but when a particular thought struck him, he suddenly found himself that yes, he does have a question that he'd like to ask. One that was important, and since Sugawara seemed to be quite a reliable source to derive an information from, he decided to ask. "Do you know if there is any place that I could stay?" He furrowed his eyebrows, the initial shock on his face replaced by a puzzling look, "I came here in Kyoto only today. But since I'll be staying here for quite while, I'm looking for a long term temporary residence."

"Well, there's a dorm here around the university campus." Sugawara answered without missing a beat. "I'm sure that you could request for one from the counter there."

"Really? Th-thank you!"

"But—" He paused when hearing the other's voice. But what? He whipped his head to the side to see a warm smile plastered on Sugawara's face. "What if I offer you to come and live with us instead?" He froze. And blinked. Then blinked for a couple of more times later because he still could not manage to comprehend the words.

"Off— live—- w-wait, us?" He muttered in disbelief. There was a possibility that he might have misheard. In fact, he must have misheard because Sugawara ( Was he an acquaintance now? Or was he still a stranger? He's still not sure. ) invited him to live together? For a short moment, he briefly wondered who else did Sugawara refer to by the term of 'them'.

"Yes. I live in a house along with few others. Our seniors graduated and returned to their hometown, so, we now got some vacant rooms."

Oh. So, he did not misheard him at all. "B-but— we just met? Are you sure? How do I know if you're not lying?"

"You're right." Sugawara immediately deadpanned afterwards. "I was actually planning to kidnap you then sell you off to the black market."

Shoyo's face nearly paled after hearing the blunt confession by the man he once thought was an angel.

A boisterous laughter was released later on, and it startled him. Eventually though, given the current situation as it is and how he actually reacted, it didn't take long for him to put two and two together; realization dawned upon him that wow, he can't believe that he actually fell for Sugawara's joke. "I'm kidding! Did you really think that I'd do that?" Sugawara snorted, making Shoyo shrink a little more by every passing second.

"Come, follow me. We don't live far away, so we can get there by walking in just a matter of few minutes."

"Wait? Really?! You'll let me live with you?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"B-but... my luggage."

"Bring them!"

"I can't! There's too many, see?" Shoyo exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He even attempted to make his point by directing a hand to his bags just outside the building. Even from this distance and through the looking glass, there were lots of them and a handful of them being huge.

"Well... that's a lot to carry." Sugawara commented to which Shoyo nodded instantly in agreement.

"I'll help." Shoyo gave another nod— wait, what?

"Eh? But they're heavy!"

Sugawara quirked an eyebrow. "Are you doubting your senior?"

"N-no." Shoyo squeaked lightly.

"All right, let's get going then. No more dawdling around."

He tried to dissuade his upperclassman from helping him, but his senior was too wise and kept coming up with good comebacks. Defeated, he eventually gave up, allowing Sugawara to assist him. The pair ended up trudging throughout the whole way, Sugawara leading the path to his new temporary home whilst they passed time by engaging in a conversation consisted of countless topics. And Shoyo learned that the more he knew about his upperclassman, the more he looked up to him. He seemed respectable, in both literal and figurative sense.

( There was also that one time when he asked Shoyo why he was wearing a scarf in the middle of the day, but like always, he told him that his usual reason: that he felt cold. It sounded unreasonable, but he was rather relieved that the other didn't push him into answering it. )

Later on, he found that Sugawara was taking three courses: Ceramics, Textile, and Product Communication, which by the way had he found it inspiring since that meant the older male had to deal with constant stress.

True to his words, Sugawara did not lie about their location. It wasn't far from where the university campus was, thus surpassing his expectations which was a good thing because he thought that he might have to walk for a couple of more metres. He paused for a while, eyes glazing over to scrutinize the structure of his now temporary new home. The house was quaint, and for a house, it was no less than an average looking one with the paint on walls fading. All in all, he found the house and the neighborhood itself quite decent.

"I know it may not look much." Shoyo threw a questioning glance at the silver-haired man at this, "- but it's actually spacious inside. I hope you won't mind the mess though. I'll clean them up soon enough."

He certainly didn't mind it by the time he entered and besides, if this was called a **mess** , then it's definitely recommendable that they shouldn't see his room back at home.

"Sugawara! Is that you? Do you know where my project files are?" Too busy admiring the beauty of the mess, he failed to notice that there was another person in front of him, and the accidental collision made him nearly stagger backwards, bristling noticeably upon taking note that he had bumped into a person. A very intimidating looking person with a shaved head, that is.

"Hey, who's this kid?" The male propped his chin up. "What are you doing here, huh? Here to look for something, hm?"

"Tanaka, quit making that face. Didn't I give the files to you earlier?" Sugawara scolded lightly before moving forward to place his hands on Shoyo's shoulders, and the bags set aside for a bit.

"And this, right here." He grinned, "- is our new housemate. He'll be a first year in our university. So, don't go scaring him off." As if he could read his thoughts, Sugawara patted him reassuringly as if it'd help to ease his discomfort. It did, it helped him tremendously.

"A first year?!" Tanaka gaped. "I don't remember being this short. He'll be living with us, huh? So, what's your name, kid? Which courses do you take?" Well... This was a bit unexpected coming from him. Aside from the 'short' comment.

"M-my name is Hinata Shoyo." Shoyo stuttered over his introduction, only bowing his head a bit since he felt— and still is- intimidated by the former.

"Aaaand?"

Shoyo quirked a brow before realizing what he meant. "A-and I take Sculpture!"

"Ooh, Sculpture." The man mused, shortly turning to Sugawara." Hey, doesn't Tsukishima take that course as well?"

"Ah. Now that you mention about it, he does."

"Hm. Anyway. Nice to meet you, Hinata!" The shaved haired man, otherwise now known as Tanaka, grinned with a hand extended out to Shoyo. Pushing his reluctance asides, he took it, an excited look taking over his face because— well, hey, maybe Tanaka isn't so intimidating as he looked in the first place.

"Sorry about that just now, by the way." Tanaka pulled back his hand. "To make up for it though, feel free to come to me anytime if you need help! Just so you know, I'm the best senpai and—" He didn't get to listen to the rest of whatever he had to say however, not when Sugawara was urging him to move forward and flee out of Tanaka's sight.

"Let me show you your room. It's upstairs." Sugawara flashed him an apologetic smile, and Shoyo returned him one. Before their trip upstairs, the redhead took this as an opportunity to study the decors indoor. The walls were plain of color, and he noted on how there was a lack of furnitures along the hallway, asides from few chips of papers and other stuffs loitering on the ground but Shoyo had seen worse.

"I'm sorry about him." Shoyo perked at Sugawara's voice piping up. "That was Tanaka earlier, and he's in the third year of taking Graphic Designs. He can be unceremoniously loud and irritating at times, but trust me when I say that he's actually a nice person once you get to know him." Shoyo nodded in response. He could already see that Tanaka was kind at heart despite the impression he gave himself earlier. Now, that made him wonder. Were there more people living here other than Tanaka? If so, how were they like? He was curious to know about the people that he was going to live with, and there was a faint hope glimmering within him that they all would get along.

"How many of you live here?"

"Oh, not much. There's about five of us. Tanaka. Nishinoya, Tsukishima, myself and now, including you." Sugawara smiled once more but for some reason, this one felt a bit... off. Regardless, Shoyo made no remark.

"Nishinoya and Tanaka are the only noisy bunch around here, if you're worried. As for Tsukishima—" Shoyo couldn't help but tilt his head at the name that was brought up again, "He's— well, reserved in a way. He's also a first year like you. You two take the same course, so it's very likely that he'll be in your class."

So, this Tsukishima that they spoke of was also a first year like him? And they're both taking the same course? Now, that was interesting. Shoyo would love to question some more but he figured that they had to work on getting to their destination first. Whichever the words he wanted to say were, they got caught up in his throat and died out by the time they reached the room he was reassigned to.

"Here you go. I hope this room is to your liking."

And he did; he liked the room. With the shades of the walls and ceilings were matched, the furnitures used were decently polished. The study desk at the far end corner of his room, the bed being next to it, and the closet at the opposite end. Sure, even though the room could need some of the spaces filled up and almost obviously lacking color just like the rest of the house ( probably ) Shoyo still liked the room.

"Yeah." He breathed out, nodding once more. "I like it!" He firmly said, moving to bow to the other as a token of gratitude.

"Thank you. For helping and letting me stay."

"No worries." Sugawara chuckled.

"It's better than staying alone, right?" Right. Shoyo forgot to consider that factor, so, he simply rubbed at the back of his head and sheepishly nodded in agreement at the other who went to reel the baggage into the room.

"By the way," Sugawara began once more, frowning a bit this time. "I might have to inform you in advance that everyone living here has to pay part of the rent. The electricity doesn't come free, if you get what I mean. So... I'm really sorry if this caused you any inconvenience."

"Oh. It's fine, I understand." Shoyo rubbed at the back of his head. "Thank you... again!"

A small smile danced across the taller male's lips. "Well then, better pack out your things now, Hinata. You've got a long road ahead of you." With the final pat set on his back, the silver-haired man promptly left the room, leaving Shoyo to deal with the taking out his things.

A long road ahead... Shoyo vaguely wondered what that meant. Four years couldn't be that long, right? Reminded of his conversation with his younger sibling prior to event made him think twice. No, he shook his head, it couldn't be that long. He's certain that in four years time, he'll look back and he'll be able to say that time passed by so fast, it only felt like it happened in a blink of an eye. All he had to do was to look forward to the future. Or at least, that's what he told himself.

* * *

 _aaa, i kinda rushed the ending so i'm terribly sorry. this is just a prologue, so? i'm kind of working on the first chapter (and chapters for my other stories) therefore it may take a while for the story to be updated_

 _next chapter onward will be more lengthy!_


	2. Chapter 1

_trigger warning: if you're highly disturbed by spirits or anything to do with supernatural beings, it's recommended that you do not read this chapter! or well, the entire story itself because it somewhat revolves around that center. sweats._

* * *

Sculpting takes a lot of time— that was one of the things Shoyo already learned but _slowly_ began to understand some more.

Early semester had long started, and before he could have come to a realization, he found himself being sandwiched underneath the pile of assignments and constant pressure. He would say that the pile was enormous, but then he'd be exaggerating since he had only taken one course for university; he can't imagine what it would be like to be others who were taking two or more subjects.

He's tired, close to exhaustion and yet he continued to work on his project that is nowhere close to completion but has to be before the following week's deadline. Palm dug into the fore of his head, he felt constrained and it was all due to the pressure of the work— the theme of the project was complicated, the conditions being that it should be a variation of their own work and had to promote a valid motion, a short essay should be passed in as well to explain their creation. Their lecturer truly must be a sadist, Shoyo mused, almost every single day, the class were given assignments with occasional projects sprinkled in.

Yet he could proudly say that he managed as his marks are slightly above average albeit in only certain areas. However, there were a supple amount of tools, techniques and materials that is still required for him to work on in order to enhance his abilities, but the foremost would have to be the further development of his creativity. He's lacking that, so far.

Shoyo sighed, leaning further against the back of his chair as he adjusted his glasses. His work space was completely a disorganized mess; crumpled papers lied around, remnants of his previous works had yet to be cleaned up, folders and files arranged incorrectly and there were contents of his ( once ) tool kit were scattered from place to place. He long came to terms with this flaw of his. He craned forward once more, a pencil steady in his grip as he tried to draw out another detail and write down an expression to go with it— which shan't be needed to say, but he failed. **_Miserably_**.

He groaned loudly, his head thrown back as he nearly tugged at his hair, exasperated for not being able to come up with even a single idea. How in the world is he going to finish if he's like this? With that being said, how could Tsukishima be able to handle this?

Shoyo grimaced at the sudden thought of the newcomer— or not so the newcomer. The first time he encountered him, he came home with a friend namely Tadashi Yamaguchi who was about to move in with them. Tall, _so very tall_ , was the first thing that came into his mind that made him become slightly intimidated by Tsukishima, but he figured that he should be tolerable as the others and so, he set out to introduced himself to the latter. He was proven wrong only a second later.

Despite his personality being a resemblance to a shred dick, he found that there were few aspects to him that made him a tad bit tolerable. As Sugawara stated before, he was reserved, rarely giving out any information of his personal life to which showed that he isn't exactly a boastful person. Another aspect to him that he found was due to an observation that he had set during one of their class sessions. Tsukishima had the natural talent to sculpt; it must be the height, because his hands were big and the fingers were definitely longer compared to his which by extension, would have made sculpture easier for him.

He concentrated, at times, but Shoyo could see that even if his concentration was put in, he isn't giving his all. He could tell because of the dull look in his eyes as if it was simply another mundane thing. Another evidence would be his grades, they were average if he could recall correctly, and although Shoyo should be satisfied that he got higher grades, it doesn't change the fact that he envied him. Tsukishima's sculptures were more perfectly done than his; the only reason why he received an average grade was because he isn't giving his all.

 _"Damn him."_ Shoyo mumbled underneath his breath as he furiously erased the nonsensical details away from the paper. For a moment, he considered on barging into Tsukishima's room and demand him for his talent but he knows better than to do that.

In a haste, he decided that his attempt would be enough for today since it was getting late. As much as he loves to sculpt, that didn't make the difficulty any less. He needed an inspiration, he thought to himself, he needed to find something that could at the very least motivate him even by a bit. Putting away his glasses and rising from his seat, he moved to wash his face by the sink in the restroom, mentally preparing himself for another exhilarating day. He sighed, eyes flickering to the mirror before him when he noticed a familiar mark on his collarbone.

So, it's not like he wanted to think about it when he tried so hard to forget— but he can't because it's inevitable and it's part of this world, _it's a part of him_ — in the end, Shoyo was always reminded about it in more ways than one.

Surprisingly, since early semester started, one of the buds, the orange colored to be more specific, had sprouted into no more less than a very delicate young flower. He takes pride in the beauty, and the first time he discovered its blossoming, he stared at it in amazement because this flower, despite it being so young, already looked astonishing. As beautiful the buds are however, its blooming raised a big flag and a red question mark above his head.

Why did only one of the buds bloomed?

To be more specific, why did he have two buds instead of one?

Why are they differently colored?

 _Wait._ Since they bloomed, doesn't this mean he met his soulmate?

Yes, it must be. There can't be any other possible explanation.

He briefly remembered that after the discovery, he went a long way to interact with everyone that he became acquainted with, and yet, not a single interaction from any of them made an impact on the bud.

It's true, like a moth being drawn to a flame, Shoyo does exhibit the ability to enchant and befriend those around him. Mayhaps it was his extroverted personality that drew them in or it could be the aura radiating around him that reeked of sunshine drops and a pleasant breeze. In the end, Shoyo merely regarded it as a matter that could never be resolved on his own. The blossom simply stayed at its size and was stubbornly refusing to grow. It was starting to frustrate him because he doesn't have any idea of who the person was ( the perks of having quite a lot of acquaintances ) and he most certainly hadn't taken into account where or when did they meet, but if they did, he could only guess that their first encounter was entirely brief. He's still uncertain about why he felt desperate to find the person when he barely knows them.

And of course, Shoyo decided that he should keep covering it; he now had a cabinet full of scarves to help it match with his clothes. People still asked, whether he feels stuffy when wearing it especially due to the tremendous heat, but Shoyo merely shrugged, saying that he's now used to it. It was partially a lie, he does feel hot, but he's grown to it now.

He raised a hand, moving to brush his fingertips against the not moving yet growing bud that was stuck to his skin like a permanent ink.

If Shoyo could, he blamed the buds. He blamed the soulmate system, whoever came up with it, and most definitely his own soulmate for putting him through all the trouble because right now, whenever he wants to not think about it, he always somehow ended up thinking about it even at impractical times.

He sighed, forcing himself to tear his gaze away from the mirror. _"I can't do this."_ Then trudged his way back to his room in a favor for rest.

* * *

Shoyo had come out of the classroom with bits of paint smeared against his face and arm, his scarf around the neck having only small specks of stains. Fortunately, he didn't have to do much work today, but he supposed that their lecturer was being lenient today since their only task given was to color paint one of their created sculptures. He checked his watch, surprised to see that his class ended earlier than usual. _Well, that's a first—_ but he figured that this meant he could make up more time for him to finish his incomplete task.

"Hinata!" A voice called out from behind, and Shoyo immediately turned to find Yamaguchi catching up to him, slowing down to steady pace for them to walk together.

"You're not with the lanky piece of bread?" The redhead questioned, crinkling his forehead in confusion to which Yamaguchi chuckled lightly, knowing exactly who it is the insult was directed to.

"He said that he had something to do." Something? Somehow, that sounded unlikely of Tsukishima to go about without his friend. Shoyo would question him further, but decided to discard it since it may be a minor matter. "Have you done your assignment yet?" He asked in the stead of his initial thought.

"The one where we have to express a motion? Almost there." Replied Yamaguchi before tilting his head and throw him a look. "How about you?"

"No." Shoyo sulked with his brows furrowed, displeased to know that everyone but him were already making progress. "I don't have anything yet. I'm still _stuck_ with the drafting."

Yamaguchi could only stare at him with surprise, "It's due in about a week." He pointed out, concern taking over the expression of his face. "You think you could finish it?"

 _"I don't know."_ He admitted sulkily, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm trying to find inspiration— something that could give me a good idea! I've been staying up late nowadays to find one, but it's just so difficult to— I just—" A sigh was released in frustration. "I never expected for university to be so complicated."

"There is a reason why it comes after college, you know." Yamaguchi teased.

"Well— _yeah_. I do know, but I didn't think it'd be _this_ tiring!"

They conversed for some more along the way, oblivious to whichever the directions that they took, and simply decided to walk around. Before long, soon, there was a glimpse of a figure from the corner of his eyes that caught Shoyo's attention, bringing him to cease in a complete halt. Slowly did he let his gaze trail towards where he saw a glimpse until it landed on a familiar figure standing under the palm tree. Oh, he mused to himself when finding that upon further inspection, it was the same person whom he so happened to see everyday.

It'd be understandable to say that Shoyo was most certainly curious about him— but that was mainly because whoever this guy was, he's wearing the same outfit as he did the first day he saw him and what piqued his curiosity even more was the fact that he's been staying in the same spot. It was suspicious, it was weird, but it definitely did a good job in catching his attention.

Eventually, the brunet had taken heed of his pause as he stopped walking either, giving few glances between Hinata and to where he was staring at. "Hinata? What are you stopping for?" But Shoyo failed to notice the question the other had set for him, "I wonder from which class is he in." And only replied with a thought blurted out from his mouth as he busily scrutinized the third person from far.

He turned around to meet the other's questioning gaze. "Hey, do you know that guy?" He asked without a beat.

"Who?"

"That guy over there, standing under the tree! Do you know him?"

"Hinata."

"What?"

"No one is standing there."

A bucket of cold water poured over him was what he felt like at hearing this. Shoyo turned, swiftly, to meet the confused eyes of his friend with his own. "What do you mean? He's just right there." He nearly cried out the last part before propping his chin up to where the man stood.

Then he observes, Yamaguchi glancing to where he pointed out then looking around for one more time only to end up frowning some more. "But I see no one around here." The brunet slowly said.

At this, bewilderment instantly wrote the features of the redhead's face shortly afterwards, and he had done naught but merely blinked at the other in a response. Is this a joke, he can't help but wonder? Could the latter be toying around with him for the sake of his own amusement? He was about to ask him only to stop because no. Yamaguchi did not seem like the type of person who'd joke around, and they lived together long enough for him to know that. The look on his face itself said it all, and it looked anything but feigned.

"Maybe it was just your imagination?" Yamaguchi said, effectively snapping him out of his thoughts, and he felt guilty for almost accusing him.

"But..." But it can't be his imagination, not when that person is definitely there and even as Shoyo threw a glance sideways to where the other was, he still is. How is it that he could see him but Yamaguchi can't? He tries to point out to the man again, but when he does, he immediately froze, the words on the tip of his tongue slipping away when met by a rather intimidating sight.

The man was looking at his way, and this time, he could see his features more clearly.

No doubt, he was cloaked in a dark jumpsuit as he always had before. Regardless, with his defined facial structure and his dark hair swept in an orderly fashion, he had to admit that he was attractive. Despite the attractiveness, however, there was something else that got to him. It was the cold eyes that pierced through him, and it didn't take another moment to realize that he was glaring right at him. Yet his gaze was _calm_ , calculating, and **deadly** , a sense of dreadfulness washed over him in an instant when he attempted to return the glare with a stare. They stayed that way, maintaining the heated eye contact for a good few second but it was so unsettling, Shoyo wanted to itch his fingers.

"Hinata." It was a great thing that Yamaguchi piped in, otherwise, Shoyo silently thanked, he was sure that he would have turned into a shivering mess under the other's nerve-wrecking stare had he not. Without a second thought, he swerved to look at his friend by face to face. "Since our classes ended for today, I think you need some rest. Want to go to a cafe together?" It was obvious that the former was concerned, with the creases shown in his forehead, and was trying to soothe him with his own way.

"No, it's fine! You go on ahead." Shoyo shook his head, flashing him a smile afterwards. "I still need to go try and find something to make a sculpture of. I have to turn in the project before the deadline. I'll be going to the library."

"Well— okay, then." Yamaguchi said, sounding unconvinced. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Shortly afterwards, the brunet left, but not without tossing another glance over his shoulders. For the sake of his safety, he reasoned, Yamaguchi could be a real worrywart at times. Reminded about the deadline of his project, only then did Shoyo finally move to head off into another direction, the earlier incident being forgotten even when he feels a chill running down his spine.

 _— Why do I feel like someone is watching me?_

* * *

There had to be an enormous amount of books that he could find in the library as his reference. From one section to another, he kept at his pace in search of a book that sounded both intriguing and promising. He found none so far. Books, to be honest, he can't exactly find the appeal in them; he could pick one up and start to read it only to wind up not finishing it all the way end. He doesn't like the blurred lines of words imprinted on a paper and almost always in gray scale which doesn't sit too well with him. Yet, for a person like him, he found it ironic to be inside the library, and resorted to the help of the books in igniting a spark within him.

It must be the scent of papers and ink that assisted him in staying the awfully quiet place, the air conditioners whirring in the stead of absent noises. He continued to move around, now randomly picking out a book from the shelf and read the title. By now, he's not sure in which section was he in but as soon as he proceeded to another area, the very first book he pulled out, he was already drawn in by the title itself.

 **DOES THE ANOTHERWORLD EXIST?**

"Anotherworld?" Shoyo read aloud to himself, clearly intrigued by the content. He draws the book out from its place, now scrutinizing every little bit of its detail. The book was incredibly thin, and its cover was plain, too ordinary for his taste but it didn't make the title any less interesting. Looking around, the redhead decided to read this a little bit even if there was a high chance that he might not gain anything from it for the project.

He chose to sit by a desk that was at a corner, and he instantly fished through to get to the first page. _The otherworld,_ as he read, _was a mythology in which was said to be the realm of supernatural beings and a realm of the dead. These beings are typically not visible to an ordinary human unless accompanied by tools such as a camera to help know about their existence. As such the like, a theory was soon invented, suggesting that there may be others that are also not visible to these beings' eyes, and therefore, could not be seen by a human even if they have the talent to see the stated beings. Is it possible that there may be another world that is completely hidden from our eyes and devices?_

Shoyo had to pause for a moment to ponder about that. An anotherworld being that can't be seen by otherworld beings and the human realm— what? This was... quite difficult to take it all in. Pushing the thought asides, he decided that he'd later question about it and went on to read the book further.

 _There was already a debate that these creatures may or may not exist. It was suggested that the anotherworld beings are like the otherworld's in a sense. However unlike them, such as spirits that we have come to know, anotherworld beings cannot be captured by using any lens which could be the reason why we do not know or unsure of their existence as of now. Yet it is also possible that they do not exist, as they do not show up in the photos. There is only vague ideas about them, but few individuals had already claimed to have seen these anotherworld beings, and for a research to be conducted, they were brought in for an interview. It was later found that all these claims were false._

"But how would they know whether their claims are false?" Shoyo mumbled to himself, shaking his head a bit in disbelief.

 _BRR! BRR!_

Shoyo flinched visibly, nearly cussing when he noticed that the sudden sound came from his bag. He reached for it, skimming through the contents and found that his phone was glowing with a notification. Hurriedly pulling it out, he clicked it open, checking the newly received message which turned out to be sent from Sugawara. _'What time will you be coming home?'_ The message said, and the redhead stared back at it, dumbfounded.

 _TO SUGAWARA: Why?_

 _FROM SUGAWARA: Reasons. You'll see if you come home._

Shoyo pouted at the answer. Of course, it should have been expected, seeing as it was from Sugawara.

 _TO SUGAWARA: Okay. I'm on my way right now!_

Thrusting the phone into his pocket, he was now left to stare at the book that he hasn't finished reading yet. Should heー or should he not? He's squinting his eyes, undecided if he should bring the book back with him but after few more moments of consideration, he decided not to. Besides, he doesn't have a library card that could let him borrow, to begin with.

After the book was put back into its place, Shoyo immediately rushed out of the library, remaining oblivious to the angered stares behind him as he ran. However, when almost reaching the familiar scenery, he slowed down to a walk, his eyes trying to find what he's expecting. And he did, he found what he was trying to find; incidents prior to event flashing through his mind causing him to stand in a still, distinctively remembering that Yamaguchi didn't see the person that he saw earlier.

As expected, the guy was still there, in the same position as before and honestly, Shoyo found it completely unnerving. Hands trembling, he pulled out his phone once more, his thumb skillfully swiping through the screen as he presses to open the camera application. He goes to try and click for a picture but there isn't any need for him, what was happening right before his eyes was real but he didn't want to believe just yet. And so, he took the picture.

However unlike them, such as spirits that we have come to know, anotherworld beings cannot be captured by using any lens which could be the reason why we do not know or unsure of their existence as of now. The words rang in his head.

He had taken a picture of the said person.

And then he feels the hair on his back standing up, with hands trembling violently than ever as his eyes widened like a pan of saucers. The picture that he took ofー that person wasn't in the picture he had taken. At all. Just like how he didn't appear in the camera before even taking the picture.

* * *

Now, Shoyo was not exactly a type of person to be interested in things related to supernatural, especially ghosts; it was never in his forte. He had always been scared when it came down to these things, and he feared the darkness because it felt like someone— _an another entity_ — was watching him without his knowledge. In other words, Shoyo, although he had quite a big fortitude to strive and win, was a _coward_ in a sense.

He felt the gush of wind passing him by as he runs all the way back home, he feels his heart thrumming, pounding, heavily against his chest and the only thing he could hear was his own ragged breath.

That must have explained it, that had to be why Yamaguchi couldn't see that— that thing. But why? Of all people, why did it have to be him?

As soon as Shoyo reached the doorstep to his temporary home, he found himself being nearly knocked out of his breath. His chest heaved heavily, and he was shaking violently like a cowered cat, but he tried his damnest to regain his composure. He's not sure what to do now that he acquired a certain piece of information but most of all, he's not sure what to do if he sees him again when he practically sees him everyday in the same spot. He rose from his knees, taking in a shaky inhale before he turned the knob to the door. Hopefully, whatever Sugawara had in store for him to come home would help to put his mind to ease.

But what came next was something that he definitely did not expect, not from Sugawara or anyone in the house for that matter.

 _"— SURPRISE!"_

A loud pop resonated into the air as Shoyo found himself being showered underneath colorful strings and sprinkles. His initial fear forgotten, it was soon replaced by a sense of wonder and amazement, and when he sees that his friends were hoarding him in a circle with a cake, party hats on heads and smiles on their lips greeting him, Shoyo couldn't help but break out into a wide grin.

"Happy birthday, Shoyo! You're officially an adult now!" Nishinoya was the first to rush to him with the greeting, and patted on his back a bit too hard. Nishinoya, whom was older although shorter than him, was someone that Shoyo quickly learned to look up to asides from his other seniors. He was noisy, as how Sugawara mentioned in the first day of him moving, but that was simply one of his charms.

"Hey, why do you look so pale? Saw a ghost or something, Shoyo? Or did we surprise you too much?" Teased the shorter male, but little did he know, the former was actually quite true.

In an attempt of forgetting what happened, Shoyo nodded his head a bit too vigorously. "Wait! It's my birthday?! You remembered it was my birthday?" He muttered in disbelief ( genuinely, this time ) realization seeping in that the reason why Sugawara had messaged for him to come home was none other than to throw him a surprise party.

"Your birthday is on the twenty-first of June, right? Don't tell me that you forgot your own birthday." Tanaka chuckled, joining in at his side before looping an arm around his neck.

"I did! I actually _forgot_ that it was my birthday today." Shoyo retaliated, flailing around his arms.

"Well, what do you know? That's the first sign to adulthood." Sugawara cheekily replied.

"Can you blow the candles already, I'm tired." Tsukishima said, clearly disinterested in the party that they were having.

Shoyo stuck out a tongue at the taller male. "Oh, shut up! You're just jealous that I got a cake for my birthday and you didn't!"

"Actually," Yamaguchi cuts in with a shy smile, "Tsukishima was the one who bought the birthday cake for you, Hinata. Remember when you asked me why I wasn't with him today?"

"... Hold on. Wait? What?! S-seriously?!"

* * *

He was back in his workplace again, a slice of cake on plate settling by the side of the table as his birthday's reminder.

Shoyo smiled upon listening to the voicemail messages sent to him from his family and friends back at home, accompanied by few images where they held a birthday celebration with him together. He was suddenly filled by a sense of longing, various of emotions rushing in him all at once. Reluctantly, he had to put his phone away, knowing full well that this was not the time to be emotional otherwise, he would never be able to start his work.

With a courtesy of his loving family and friends, Shoyo was able to find an inspiration once again. Fortunately, tomorrow was a weekday for them and therefore, he could stay up as long as he needed to make up for the time he lost until he felt satisfied. Eyes looking back and forth from the sketch he jotted down and his current progress of his sculpture, his fingers glided smoothly around the clay; pinching, patting, pressing, and then at some point, there were tools he picked up in order to make a few corrections.

He stomps off to the restroom quickly, rinsing his tools before he could continue his work. Only when the redhead looked into his mirror then did he realize that he still had his scarf on; he tugged on it, regardless of his wet hand, and tossed it atop of the towel rack before looking back into the mirror, momentarily forgetting of what he would see once the piece of cloth no longer covered it. And he frowns, pausing in his actions, because there, he noticed the little blue bud has begun to bloom as well.

"W-w-what?" He spluttered at the sight of the other flower bud. It was blooming? But Shoyo craned his neck and leaned forward to check the his soulmate mark, his frown deepening some more because the orange flower— was slightly _wilting_ , its color _fading_ and needless to say, the discovery came as another one of the surprises for today. What ever happened to the orange little blossom? Yelping in surprise, Shoyo stepped back for a couple of few times with a hand flying up to rub at his skin. It wasn't long until he rushed off with the tools he needed to use, the door to the restroom shut closed behind him and today's another discovery shoved into the back of his mind. Right now, he needed to focus on getting his project done. Yes, that's all he needed to focus on if he wanted to be one of the greatest sculptors of all times.

Yet, later on, his mind did not reciprocate with his heart. He made a lot of mistakes, and that meant it'd take a longer time for him to continue. At this rate, not even a cup of coffee would help to keep him awake. Enraptured in the moment of conjuring his thoughts, nonetheless, he would find his mind seamlessly wandering back to the events that happened today.

Anotherworld. An anotherworld being. And his ever so mysterious soulmate mark.

Shoyo could only hope that he'd be able to finish his assignment in time.


	3. Chapter 2

sorry for not updating for a while, I've been very busy. (ι´Д｀)ﾉ also, heads up that it's been sometime I've written. So, my writing is kind of rusty.

* * *

It had been almost a week since the odd incident; these consecutive days were consisted of taking from one route to another that leads him to his class which was difficult, but it is often the nights considered the worst as Shoyo found himself frequently turning over in his bed, and it reached to the point where he ended up lacking a rest he may deserve.

The day of the deadline of his project finally approached, and the redhead managed to turn it in with a pair of hands more calloused than ever. The amount of effort he put in by the end managed to pay off quite well, he'd say, but of course, there was a slight churn of disappointment settling at the pit of his stomach when he received the results later on; his eyes droop upon knowing that the marks he had gotten were lower than he usually did.

Given the circumstances back then however, Shoyo supposes that it should have been expected. _Expected_ , but that doesn't always mean the thought is pleasant.

"You tried." Yamaguchi consoled him in the mid of the day, a hand on his back with a smile too stretchedー too brightー but the glaze of his eyes contradicted to what he said as they were almost filled to the brim by pity.

A nod could only be given as he bit on the inside of his cheeks. The sting of his eyes went ignored, but he refused to think it was due to the sense of dejection. Instead, he puts the blames onto the cold that was starting to get to him. "Hngー if only I tried hard enough." The last statement was said barely above a whisper, but that was fine. It was mostly directed at himself.

Yet Yamaguchi smiled bitterly, not knowing what else to say but it was understandable. Unlike a certain friend of theirs, an act of consolation never did lie in their forte, so when he decided to chip it off with a brush of his shoulders, Shoyo paid no mind to it at all. Or well, he tried not to pay mind to it. "You look dead," Yamaguchi commented before continuing, and Shoyo felt his nose twitch because there was no requirement for the obvious to be stated.

"You should be able to take it easy from now on. There aren't any more assignments until the end of this semester."

He sniffs, not responding for a while, and he thinks that the other must be concerned when he received no reply from him. Then again, this has been going on for a while. It was unlike of him to act in such a way; for him to be like this for days when he was one to be loud and vibrate with an air of radiance, smiling without any care in the world— it's a no wonder why it made others concerned. Even he admits it himself that this uncharacteristic side to his own doesn't suit him in the slightest.

Even then, he tried to laugh it off. The laughter was awkward and quite haughty, therefore, it is most likely not enough to convince the other and his theory was proven when he caught Yamaguchi eyeing him once more. Fortunately, the laughter was short-lived but on the other hand, the only reason why it was cut short was due to an abrupt fit of coughs that he finds himself being thrown into.

"You're right," He starts, his coughs dying down after few seconds and he alas finds a bit more of energy to smile again. "I should probably take a day off!"

Yamaguchi returns the smile, genuine this time, at him. "Not probably. You _definitely_ should."

"But—" He tried to protest, but Yamaguchi cuts him off before he could say anything further.

"No buts."

"Yama—"

"I said, no buts."

 _"Yamaguchi."_ Shoyo whined again for the umpteenth time. He swears, Yamaguchi is growing to become more and more like Sugawara recently as he begins to reprimand and give he along with the others a lecture on few thing. One had to be honest; it didn't occur to him that Yamaguchi might become the person he is today, and then the next thing before they'd even know about it, it isn't going to take a while until Yamaguchi becomes their next mother.

"Fine." He sighed, pouting for a bit then decided to comply with the brunet's request. He knows that there was no way in ensuring victory with this one.

They continued to sit in the cafeteria where their meals were set before them. The space here was nearly as huge as the auditorium in their university, but it is never empty as students lingered around this part of the campus more than the others. It was almost never quiet, but perhaps today would be made an exception. No droning sounds of a crowd were heard, only the hushed tone of voices engaged to each their own's conversation and utensils clicking from the kitchen were, but it was enough to be considered peaceful.

"I'm going to go buy some drink from the vending machine!" Shoyo proclaimed his need to quench his thirst out of the blue. He gets out of his seat, about to retreat but only to pause when the other stop him halfway.

"Not from the canteen?" A brow was quirked as Yamaguchi stares at him in questioning.

"It's cheaper if you buy from the vending machine." Shoyo defended himself, earning himself a shrug from Yamaguchi.

"You might want to use the one near the science block then," The brunet advised, placing the fork in his hand back onto the tray before him. "The ones in the cafeteria here are out of order."

Shoyo wrinkled his brows at the thought. "So, I have to go all the way there then?"

"Do you want me to buy it for you instead?" Yamaguchi offered with no hesitance.

At the proposal, his lips curved upward in expressing amusement. However, as tempting as the offer did sound, it felt wrong somehow and he suspected that it might be due to guilt and the possibility of it troubling his friend. So, he declined his offer with a wave of a hand and a grin. He proceeded to resort to his another destination by then, with a drink in mind to buy.

* * *

He stands, endlessly staring at the options of drinks enlisted on the vending machine in search of a favorite drink of his that he was craving. So, when he was left to realize that his favorite drink was sold out, he slumped forward, groaning and resorted to pick another drink but of course, not before mumbling a string of curses.

He's deciding now, whether he should go for some can of orange juice or a carton of milk. He has yet to decide, but because he felt so damn thirsty, already, he was reaching in his pocket for a dime in preparation, and chose pointedly with his eyes at which item he'd like from the list.

What comes next happens in a blink of an eye. Right after he draws out the coin, he felt an object was hurled against the back of his head— it felt sharp, like a jab to his stomach, and the abrupt toss made him released a yelp— _"Ow!"_

And the coin drops out of his hand then rolls away to another place, and he was painfully aware of it. Well, there goes his money and buying a drink.

Shoyo winces at the pain that continues to thrum at the burning spot, his quenching thirst long forgotten as he presses a palm onto the spot where he was hit in hopes of relieving any wound. It didn't hurt, not really, but that didn't mean he wasn't shaken off by the fact that he was hit by something. Was it an accident? Maybe someone is there to apologize? Well, it had to be one and somebody was probably already there to say their apology. Perking up at the thought, Shoyo instantly swerves to the side, the corner of his eyes catching an empty box of milk on the ground which lays out in the open, and not too far from him.

He was expecting an apology at that moment. But he hears no words, not even a simple phrase consisted of at least a 'sorry'; he hears nothing or something to indicate their approaching then it hits him that this may as well be no accident. This could explain the tardiness of one's apology, someone must have actually thrown something at him purposely— _Seriously? Just what does he look like to them? A trash?_ — because why else would it be thrown at him when there's a garbage bin near by the vending machine?

"Hey! What's the big idea—"

Then he turns, impatience has begun to leak and Shoyo has this irresistible urge of lashing out at the person who dares to have the guts to throw the empty carton at him. By the time he turns though, after he saw— and he comes to know who the culprit of crime was, he froze in his place. His anger instantly grew paper thin into something akin to fear and like the wind, it dissipates.

There, standing a good few meters away from him was the dark-haired man he's been trying to avoid like a plague for the past week.

Silence stretches out between them and no words were yet to be shared. The fire kindled in him earlier to lash out on the person was already dying out to a cloud of smoke, and he, due to the lack of a better phrase, impersonates a blubbering fish at this very moment. Shoyo could only gape at the sight of the newcomer, nothing more, nothing less— and if he could dig himself a grave, he'd gladly would because there will ever be nothing more nerve-wrecking in comparison to this one where he's trembling in fright.

He doesn't know what to do nor what to say, the stranger was so eerily quiet and with the stare he's giving him, and especially after a discovery of something incredibly superstitious, he's bound to be creep out at some point. So, when he sees the said person has taken a step forward, it was then Shoyo snaps out of his thoughts, becomes more alert, then proceeds to back away instantly because— _oh no,_ is he walking towards him now?

He tries to back up some more, but it seems that with every step that he takes, the other follows and it's dawning onto him that yes, yes, he is walking towards him, and there was this unsettling determination he could see glinting in the gleam of the latter's eyes.

One step forward, one step back.

This went on for a little while until Shoyo eventually finds that he has nowhere to escape. With his very back being pressed up against the vending machine, it's easy to see that he was in an uncomfortable position. Yet the stranger remained to creep up on him, and it was starting to remind him of the way how a predator stalks on their prey. He tries, he tries so very hard to avert his gaze away from the piercing stare but he could only do so much where turning his head sideways and almost squishing his cheeks against the metal plate was the most thing he could do.

"Uh– u-um—" He gulps, squeaking indignantly when he sees that the latter has come to a complete halt right in front of him. But like a new situation arising, there lies a problem too. This guy was too close— _way too close_ for his liking and never before had he felt this uncomfortable.

He wants to escape, but he has nowhere to go. So, he's stuck there, forced to hear the race of his own heart pounding heavily against the thrum of his chest. It could just be him, but it's one of these moments when he receives a series of flashbacks and he couldn't help but wonder if this is what people see before the moment of their death. The male begins to lean in, and for Shoyo who can no longer press his head back any further, squeezes both his eyes shut and trembles in fear because–

Oh god, what is he planning to do?

Why is he leaning in? Why is he getting _too_ close?

This is it— _this is how Hinata Shoyo was going to die._ He's going to die even before achieving his dreams.

He's not so sure what happened after that. But somehow—somehow, and one thing for sure, Shoyo manages to tear himself away from the impending danger. He couldn't focus on what was in front of him or where he was going, he merely sprinted off into a full run and away from the place with his thirst all forgotten because right now, his mind was telling him to get away from there.

Right now, his mind was telling him to never look back. _Right now_ , one of the few things that's running through his head and he actually could make a sense out of is the little chants that tells him to not stop running.

* * *

Shoyo was so confused and very lost now since he doesn't know where he is nor a single clue. He stopped running sometime ago, no breaks taken in between which ends up leaving him in a few puffs of breath while bending over to his knees. He groaned, then takes a glance around in search of a path that may lead him to a familiar place but firstly, there are some obstacles that he may need to overcome.

The university was massive, that was something to be agreed on by many, and Shoyo never did find the time to explore the whole campus since he deemed it unnecessary. He had only been through the ones he thinks that he ought to know and the ones he had been immensely curious about. Even then, there remain many routes he hasn't grown familiar with to which he's immensely regretting about it now; he does regret it— he regrets not asking for a tour guide from his upperclassmen back then when he was completely new because the knowledge surely could have been useful for him now.

Right now, in the very heart of this campus, he was in a place that resembled a lot to a maze— it seemed like it was the central point of the school, vaguely reminding him of a roundabout where there is a circle diverged into many paths and he's just there, standing and roaming somewhere in the middle while not being entirely sure in which direction he came from. It's making him feel more stressed.

He just wanted to find a way out of here and well, maybe go home. His classes already ended anyway, and he only went to the cafeteria to accompany Yamaguchi since he still has another class to—- _Yamaguchi_.

A groan erupts from his throat when he realized that he has to go back.

He heaved in a deep breath, the earlier incident suddenly flashing across his mind and became stuck like a plaque on teeth. This abrupt reminder serves him as a poison to his mind; he subconsciously released some questionable noises afterwards, the pent-up frustration from within starting to drip, one drop at the time like how a volcano would rumble before it erupts. "What's up with him?!" He grits his teeth, nearly hissing— or well, it. Whichever, since he now knows that he isn't exactly a human nor a spirit.

The reminiscence of the otherworldly creature's face made him mad, yet at the same time, he must be going mad either. Truth be told, he couldn't fathom the reason why he looked grumpy but he's been given the impression it might have to do with something about him already figuring out what he was.

At that new thought, it felt like a brick fell onto his head when the redhead finally began to glue the pieces together.

Wait. If that guy knows about it... Then did that mean he caught him the time around he took a picture of him? That had to be it! Shoyo gaped. It's a no wonder why he looked so mad— _dared even to throw a carton of milk at him_ — it's because he figured out what he was. Shoyo thinks he's truly lucky today for not getting even a scratch from earlier. But hold on for a minute— he _wasn't_ even in the picture, so for what reason does he have then for being mad? Just because he tried to take a picture of him? It's not like he's not going to show it to anyone, let alone, a picture that barely caught anything. He also remembers trying so hard not to get caught red-handed.

"Maybe he doesn't want me to know what he was?" The redhead mused. If that was the case, then _how_ did he know that he knows? It irked him, he was starting to suspect that these he can read minds or something, but something felt **missing**.

The situation he finds himself became a tad more complicated. It would seem that the more he attempts to resolve it, the more he's grown conscious of his surroundings, and honestly, Shoyo doesn't want to risk in having another encounter with that guy again in this damned place where he may end up being more lost than ever if he makes an effort to flee.

Shoyo shook his head immediately at the thought. This was no place nor the appropriate time to think about this. He has to find a way out now, and go back to Yamaguchi.

Fortunately for him, it wasn't long until he spots another figure coming through from one of the hallways, relief making him released the breath he didn't even know that he held upon seeing the person was not him, but someone else. He proceeded to take a few cautious steps forward as he jotted down on the notable aura the newcomer held, and he couldn't help but to compare it to the other worldly creature whom on the other hand had an intimidating presence. Hence, it should be understandable on why Shoyo was quick to decide that he has taken a liking to this person.

He flung around a hand at the newcomer in hopes of catching his attention, a big smile splayed across his lips when a pair of golden eyes flashed up to meet his.

"Excuse me!" Shoyo called out to him, beckoning for him to come closer.

He complied, and by the time he comes further up close, Shoyo was now able to tell that the person stood taller than him if only by a bit, and the roots of his bleached hair were more noticeable compared to moments ago when he stands afar. "Yes?" And the other responds, barely standing close to him when he slowed down to a complete stop. Their eye contact broke when his gaze lands back onto a screen, only then did Shoyo notice the game console in his hands.

"Do you know the way to the canteen?" Shoyo asked, making sure to be polite.

For a moment, the supposedly blond paused on his game. He turned, looking around then points at a direction where he recently came from with a nudge of his head. "There." He spoke, softly, but it had been audible enough for him to hear, and he fervently nodded at him the instance he caught onto what he said.

"Thank you for the help!" He gave him a bow in gratitude, beaming at the latter for a quick second before he went to skid to the pointed direction. He paused right away though when he remembered that he nearly forgot to ask for his name, maybe also ask him if he'd like to hang out for some time. When he turned to call out for him however, it dawned onto him that it was far already too late.

"He's gone." He frowned, because he swore that it had only been a few seconds ago when he last saw him; yet there was only an empty air filling in the spot where the boy once stood.

Ah, well. He shrugs to himself. Since he's a student from this university— or he presumes that he was one, at least— he figured that he's most likely to bump into him again one of these days. Maybe then he'll be able to ask for his name. And so, Shoyo continued his way back to the cafeteria, oblivious to the pair of eyes watching him from afar.

* * *

In the end, Shoyo decided to go home once the bell rang for the next period to come, but of course, not without informing Yamaguchi before they separate their ways as the latter fled to attend his next class. There wasn't much things to do in school anyway, and he doesn't want to risk his chances in seeing him again. ( Luckily for him, he didn't bump into him when he goes back to the canteen and on the way home. )

"I'm back!" His voice resonated throughout the house, the shoes worn onto his feet was slipped off and he and settled them neatly on a rack nearby.

He glanced around, noting on how empty the house seemed to be due to the lack of responsive statement which is often heard whenever he shouted the phrase. A sigh glided past through his tongue, and with no one around, Shoyo let himself to ungraciously lean back against the door and loosen the scarf around his neck, the overwhelming sensations of panic and nervousness from before took in the stead of what was supposed to be the fleeting feeling he described as home.

"Oh, Hinata! You're here!" Just as he was about to drop his bag to the side, one of his yet another housemate ceremoniously made his entrance as he leaped from behind a wall with a welcoming grin.

"Nishinoya? Are you the only one around?" Shoyo tilted his head.

"Yup! The others are still having their classes. Mine has all ended." Nishinoya proudly stated. "Props to some of my teachers cancelling the class. Said something like having a staff meeting!"

"Oh! I see." He frivolously nodded. It'd be a lie if he was to say that he didn't feel a bit more eased after seeing that it was Nishinoya. Sure, he can be noisy at times but perhaps, that's the reason why they managed to get along so well together the first time they met. ( Which was a _disaster_ , and no one really wants to talk about it. ) At the very least, he's not going to be alone now.

Pushing himself off from the door, an idea clicked in his mind as he goes to stand next to the other. "Hey, do you want to go somewhere today? Maybe we could go to the movies and watch something?"

"Sure! Why not?" Nishinoya was quick to agree with him as he beamed but when he sees him scratching his chin, he knows that the other was having his second thoughts. "Oh— uh, actually, I got somewhere else to go later with the others, so, I don't think I can."

"Others?" That was an answer unexpected, so he blinks, hoping to know by who was Nishinoya exactly referring to.

"Yeah! Um... With Sugawara, Tanaka, and Tsuki, and some others."

"Oh, then I could come with y—"

"— N-no! You can't!"

Shoyo was taken aback at the sudden change in the shorter male's demeanor. They both stared at each other, the pause between them stretching out into a silence that caused the atmosphere around them to become heavier, more uncomfortable, and it was starting to make him feel nervous in a way. He feels dejected, somewhat; he was hoping to go to the cinema and if the latter would like, they could sort it out so Nishinoya wouldn't have to bail out from the event.

He didn't budge from his spot though, only carefully looked at his upperclassman who seemed to only have regained his composure after clearing his throat.

"I mean," He starts, looking at somewhere else. "We're going out to have some drink, so _**no**_. You can't come."

"Why not? I'm twenty." Shoyo pouted.

"Nope. Still can't come. You're still a baby." Nishinoya retaliated, and Shoyo doesn't know how to respond to that, so he expresses it by physical means; fist clenching and looking like he wanted to explode but he knows that he can't. In the end, he lost against the shorter male, and the latter only laughs and pats on his back, reassuring him that they could go together next time.

* * *

In the end, it was only him and Yamaguchi who were left behind and entrusted to take care of the house.

Curiosity comes in, and he'd like to know for what reason the others have gone to the bar, and he has to admit it was a tad too strange. Tsukishima was almost at the same age as they are— let alone he was _younger_ than him by few months— so to let him come with them was what made it strange, never mind that they were legal of age. He doesn't try to dwell on the matter any further however, he brushed it off, thinking they probably brought him along because of his height which he'll admit that it does make him seem older.

"They probably left me here because someone needs to take care of you." Yamaguchi suddenly said, taking out a pan from the cabinet below the counter and settles it onto the stove.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'm practically an adult now! I can take care of myself." Shoyo points at himself in protest.

"Oh, yes." But Yamaguchi wasn't having any of that as he replied in a mocked tone, "A responsible adult who can't even cook or clean his own room to save a life, and almost always trips over nothing."

"That's **_not_ ** true."

Night has already come by too fast without either of them being aware of it, and the others had already left sometime ago. Decision was taken upon themselves in making some dinner, and they've long reached to an agreement to eat some Carbonara pasta. Well, it was mostly on Yamaguchi's part who had prepared them dinner since Shoyo wasn't trusted to be anywhere close to the kitchen appliances; the last time he offers to make some breakfast, they've woken up to the smell of a burnt meal and the kitchen in a wrecked state. They never let him live it down after that.

"Yamaguchi. What do you take again?" Shoyo questioned. Supper was already being served, and after shoving a spoonful into his mouth, he could feel the flavors bursting at the seams in his mouth. No doubt, Yamaguchi cooks really well.

"Culinary and Sculpture." The latter responded, and he beamed at him.

"That explains it— your cooking tastes great!"

"Ah, thank you..." Yamaguchi expressed his gratitude, being bashful at the meantime as he tried to avert his gaze. It was pleasant to know that the brunet retained some of his old traits, and perhaps, that may be why Shoyo got along with him. They ate in silence for some time, but it was the comfortable kind of silence since he doesn't feel the need to talk. He continues to happily gnaw on his food, oblivious to how Yamaguchi was no longer picking at his food as he busied himself in savoring the meal.

"Um, Hinata?" Yamaguchi breaks the silence, and Shoyo pauses on his eating to look at him.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this but I was kind of wondering... Why do you keep on wearing a scarf?"

His gaze trailed down to the scarf around his neck. Oh, that's right. He remembered the others asked him the same question prior to event, but Yamaguchi wasn't there at the time to witness since he hasn't moved in. So he contemplates, debating with himself, and pondering on the choice whether or not should he tell him his exact reasons that no one here has yet to know. "That... I have my own reasons." He furrowed his brows, "Um, i-it's a personal thing."

"I see." Fortunately, Yamaguchi didn't press on the matter any further. He only left the conversation at there, accepted the answer without any reluctance and in a way, it encouraged him to confide in the older male.

But first things first.

"Yamaguchi, where's your soulmate mark?"

"My soulmate mark?" Yamaguchi looked up at him with a puzzled look, "Wellー it's on my hip."

"Is it blooming?"

"It is." Yamaguchi quirked his brows, but Shoyo didn't seem to notice, he was too caught up in the shallow topic. Right now, he thinks that this could be an opportunity to find out about the whole Soulmate mark system so more, and see if it could give any answer to the mysterious mark on his collarbone.

"Do you know who it is?" He asked, hoping to get some more answers when the brunet questioned him either.

"What's with these sudden questions?" The brunet frowned.

"Well, you see... um."

The opportunity was lost and now, he was reckoned to be answering the questions. What more, with the gaze from the latter clearly fixated on him, he knows that he's doomed. He inhaled shakily, mentally preparing himself for the possibilities of what were to come. But this was Yamaguchi; he's not just someone else. For him to be close with Tsukishima, who was no doubt an insensitive jerk, it'd be safe to say that there was something about him that makes him unique. So, he breathes in, gives himself a slap on both cheeks which earned him a set of wide eyes staring at him, before he could move on to explain.

"There's a reason why I'm wearing scarves. Like everyone else, I have a soulmate markー but mineー mine is on the collarbone. So, if I don't wear my scarf, then anyone can see it." He stated his reasons, hoping it would be enough to answer him. "I've had some history so I kinda grew conscious of it."

"So, is that why you insist on wearing a scarf even when we are at home?" Yamaguchi knitted his brows in concern.

"Yeah..." Shoyo solemnly nodded, then perked up to continue. "But, it's not just that! Something weird is happening to my soulmate mark lately. As if it isn't even weird to begin with. I mean, look!"

It's now or never, he tells to himself. Grabbing at the hem of his scarf, he loosened it some more, sliding it off from his neck completely and cranes his head so he could properly unravel the mark imprinted on his body. As expected, Yamaguchi seemed to be thrown into a state of surprise and for once, he felt a little bit proud since it had been sometime he received this kind of reaction and not the ones laced with envy.

"Two flowers. That's very rare." Yamaguchi stared in amazement. "They look beautiful though. And they're bloomingー? But one is wilting? Then that means... Hinata, did you get into a fight with your soulmate?"

Shoyo was quick to deny what the other said. "A fightー w-wait, no! There was no fight, uh..." He shook his head. He doesn't know where did Yamaguchi got the idea from. He doesn't remember having a fight with anyone, let alone he meeting his soulmate who was someone that remains a mystery.

"Um, I don't know who it is!" He blurted out the truth. "I mean, um. I don't know who my soulmate is."

"You don't? But I thought for sure that once the bud starts blooming, you'd know who it is." Yamaguchi blinked.

"I thought the same thing too!" Too bad, it didn't work that way. It was the reason why he was asking him few questions earlier, having confidence that it might alleviate some of his queries that has yet to be resolved. But so far, he gets nothing. "I tried to find out who it is before. But I can't. I just can't. I tried talking to everyone that I know but it doesn't put any impact on the mark. Yet, just a week ago, this other budー the blue oneー started blooming, while the orange one was dying."

"That's strange."

"It _is_ strange."

"Usually, when your mark wilts, it means that your soulmate is somewhat thinking negatively of you which may happen after a fight," Yamaguchi explained, and the statement had his mouth to be slightly hung agape at him. "Because of that, this does often lead to the case that you two do know each other."

"So, if it wilts then that meansー you had a fight?" Shoyo sulked, slumping back in his chair because, if anything, he finds this a little more confusing than before. Huh... But I don't remember having a fight with anyone."

"Not necessarily, I guess... It just means that your relationship with your soulmate from their point of view somewhat worsened. It happened to me before, especially after the time when Tsuki and I got into a big fight. It made me feel really guilty when I noticed that my mark wilted a bit." He scratched his head, smiling a bit sheepishly. "But in your case, then I'm not sure why."

"I see..." He says, still sulking. "Hold on a second. Did you just say Tsuki? _Tsuki_ as in Tsukishima Kei?"

Yamaguchi nearly choked on his food.

"That insufferable pickle of a toad is your soulmate?" Shoyo gawked at him, and that was when it clicked in his mind. "Uwoooh- _that_ \- that explains _everything!"_

"Hinata _, shut up."_ Yamaguchi gritted out, having a little bit of his regrets as he palmed at himself in the face. Probably due to embarrassment. "Yes, he is my soulmate."

He grins, maybe a little too wide because it wasn't long till the other boy nudged him too harshly in the stomach, and he snorts, attempting to get back at him. "So, for how long already? How long have you two, um... you know?"

"... We met when were just children." Yamaguchi answered him.

"Oh, then you twoー"

"No, no. Nothing that you'd expect. We'reー we're mostly platonic soulmates." He bit his lips.

"Platonic soulmates?" The redhead tilted his head.

"Well, I'm sure that you know there are different kinds of soulmates. Do you know the saying— some soulmates are not meant to be—? By not meant to be, I guess they meant it romantically wise." He's not entirely sure, but he thinks that for a second, he had seen a flash of sadness in Yamaguchi's eyes. He frowned, mostly because he didn't know that there were other kinds of soulmates, and it comes to him a later on that he didn't know much about the Soulmate system like he thought he did. He had always thought it was a simple system; a person meets their soulmate, then they live happily ever after.

Turns out, it was much more complicated than that.

"Anyway, back to the topic way before we even got astray. You could always wear a turtleneck shirt instead of a scarfー or find some clothes that have collars, or big enough to cover it." Yamaguchi suggested, and Shoyo nearly snorted at the fact that yes, somehow, they managed to get side-tracked from the main topic. Shoyo hums, considering the suggestion as foretold by the latter, and he had to admit, it was a really good idea. There was one problem though.

"I don't think I have those kind of shirts." He sheepishly says, earning himself a little raise of a brow from Yamaguchi.

"We could go buy some clothes if you'd like." Yamaguchi implied. "Besides, I seriously think that you need a change of wardrobe too. You've been wearing the same set clothes for the past few weeks already."

"Hey! So long as I get to wear clothes and clean them then _I'm fine."_ Shoyo crossed his arms, huffing before turning away.

"Doesn't change the fact that you still need a change of clothes."

"Yes, it does!"

"No, does not."

"Does."

"Not."

 _"Does!"_

"Does _not_."

"Doー"

Their little banter was cut off when they hear a door clicking open from outside the kitchen, followed by muffled voices. They looked at each for a while then glanced at the clock hanging from a wall. They must have been talking for a long time, their dinner forgotten, because the hour hand and the minute clock was already showing how late it was.

"Well, it sounds like they're back."

"Let's go check it out!" Shoyo was the first to stand up and ran to slide open the kitchen door. He overhears a conversation from the front entrance, and he recognized the voices were none other than Sugawara and Tanakaー but _something was wrong._ They didn't talk as they normally would, but instead, they were speaking in hushed tones as if they wouldn't want anyone to listen on into what they were saying and he could only caught so much of their words before he greeted them.

 _"ー why not? I think it'd be best if we do."_

 _"No, we can't. It's too dangerous."_

"Welcome back!" His head peaked out from behind the wall, and a moment later, he feels something nestling above him only to see that it was Yamaguchi perching above him in the same position.

"Hey, you two!" Tanaka waved at them with a wide grin. "Glad to see that you guys are still alive without us here."

"Did you have fun?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Yeah, we totally had some fun! Ryuu and I have been blaring up the turbo!" Nishinoya answered, arriving at the door just in time.

"Oh, we sure did." Tanaka nodded in agreement.

Tsukishima had been the last person to enter, the door closed behind him, and soon enough, everyone was gathered into one place. Shoyo fidgeted, watching as they all settled in; Tsukishima was already heading upstairs with Tanaka and Nishinoya trailing after him and somehowー somehow, he can't help but feel that the atmosphere had been quite intense the moment they walked in. Now, Shoyo might be an idiot when it comes down to practical subjects but he knows when something is wrong.

Like how Sugawara seemed to be in a deep thought as if he was troubled.

"Sugawara-san?" Shoyo waved a hand in front of him to help get his attention, and by the time Sugawara snapped out of his trance, he takes this as a chance to question him.

"Is there anything wrong?"

"Hm? Ah, no. Nothing at all. I... I was just thinking of starting a part-time job." Sugawara replied, but it sounded a little forced. Perhaps 'forced' isn't the appropriate term, but more like it was a lie.

"... Really?" Shoyo asked again, and this time, he tried to observe him more closely. They, including Sugawara, have been acting pretty suspicious today, therefore, it'd only be natural to assume that there was something wrong. That, and Shoyo would appreciate it if he wasn't being lied to in the face and made a fool of.

"Yes." Sugawara nods, sighing as he went to rub at his temples. "I've been considering on having a part time job for a while already, actually. Our expenses has been getting higher."

"They do?"

"They do. And it's driving me nuts to keep up with the checkbook." Sugawara nodded once again, and Shoyo sensed that he really was telling the truth when he sees how slightly scrunched up the other's face was. At least he now knows that he wasn't being lied to.

He discards the thought of them lying afterwards, deciding that he must have just read too much into their account and misinterpreted it. He straightened his back, the fire in his eyes dissipated and he was left to be curious in what Sugawara seemed to have in mind as he was tapping on his chin, a habit that he learned the other had.

"Oh, I heard that there is a shop downtown that is in need of employees," Sugawara stated with a snap of his fingers, "I plan to check it out soon enough. Maybe tomorrow."

"Really? I'll come with you then!"

"What? Come with me? Are you sureー"

"Yes! I want to help." He yells, but maybe a bit too loud when he hears a distinct shout of someone that they need to sleep from upstairs. "I mean, um..." He fidgeted, trying his best to keep his voice low. "I want to help. I don't want you or the others to do most of the things by yourselves, andー and I have more free time than you, so I think it's only fair if I contribute some more since you all allowed me to stay here."

He feels bad. And for him to suspect them earlier, he never really thought that it might be due to the stress of university that was weighing down on them and maybe the reason why they didn't invite him and Yamaguchi was so they wouldn't have to see them releasing their tension. "Oh, and you guys even threw a birthday party for me!"

"Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a helping hand." Sugawara flashed him a smile. "Your class ends early by tomorrow morning, right?" He asked once more to which Shoyo answered with a yes.

"Mine too. My other classes got cancelled, so I think we can make time. Let's meet by the foyer." With that, their conversation was put to a halt, Sugawara now making his way up to his room with a yawn and arms stretched out, and Shoyo takes it as a sign that he was tired. Shoyo too was about to head up when he was reminded of the scene replayed in his head, and he'd be lying if he says that it didn't bother him.

"Ah, Sugawara-san!" He shouted out to him, and the older male immediately stopped in his tracks to look back at him.

"Earlier, I think I heard you said something like 'it's too dangerous' to Tanaka-san. If you don't mind me asking, what were you talking about?"  
Sugawara seemed a bit taken back. "Ah, that..." He scratches at his cheek with a laugh, "Well, it was just Tanaka. And you know him, he was planning to do something stupid again."

If Shoyo hadn't knew better, he'd say that he was being nervous. The feeling comes back again; _a hunch_ , if he had to be honest, and this time, Shoyo felt certain that Sugawara had lied to him and everything that's happened before this was no coincidenceー something was really wrong. Had that been all, they wouldn't have spoke in low, quiet voices. Nishinoya wouldn't have reacted so quickly, and almost in an intimidating way, when he offered to come with them. He doesn't really see the reason why they wouldn't invite them when they had Tsukishima with them.

"Um, Hinata?" Sugawara voiced out, cutting into his train of thoughts and Shoyo jerked his head back up at him, "Will that be all? I need to go patch up a few things."

"Y-yes! That's all. Thank you!" He squeaked, bowing profusely at the other, but he had shaken him off with a laughter before continuing his way.

"Well then, good night." He hears him greet, and soon enough, Sugawara was out of his sight and Shoyo was left to stare at the empty wall as he remained standing at the bottom of the stairs. He frowns some more, and he knows that he shouldn't be thinking too much over this nor should he make a big deal out of it, but it was just too odd to be left it at that.

Hopefully, this was just a one time thing. Shoyo was already having conflicting thoughts about this, so he's not really sure nor does he know what to think about it in the end.

 _"Hinata, don't forget to do the dishes!"_ Yamaguchi's voice sounded from the kitchen.

"Oh, crap! I forgot!"

* * *

i totally did not rushed that ending lmao ( chances are i'm going to rewrite the last few parts at the end ) thank you for your patience!


	4. Chapter 3

As promised, Shoyo had come to the foyer by the next day. He remained perched on a bench, fidgeting, the silent atmosphere somehow being manageable enough to make him squirm with discomfort. To distract himself, he chose to peer into the clock shown on his phone and noting the time every now and then.

"He's not here yet..." He mumbled underneath his breath, taking a moment to ponder on where Sugawara was since it is slightly unusual for him to be this late. He did consider on opting out of the part time job at some point, but after being reminded that he wanted repay the favors of his seniors, he chose to go against his initial thoughts.

Besides, he begins to nod as if it'd help to convince himself, he might need some extra moneyー not that the allowance permitted by his scholarship is not enough, but it may be more convenient for him.

Sighing, Shoyo decided to have some refreshments as he waited for his upperclassman. Taking out a box of bento from his bag, he placed it onto his lap and promptly opened the lid, a whiff of the aroma from the food taken in to which made his stomach grumble lowly. Luckily for him, no one was around to witness him in this state because he's pretty sure that it would have been embarrassing.

Or well, so did he think that no one was around.

"You."

Before he could dig in into his bento, he halted at the sound of the awfully familiar voice . Slowly but surely did he threw a glance to his side, eyes trailing from his meal to the intruder. Dark shoes, dark tracks, a dark coatー but the moment he registered the face of the intruder and recognized who it was, he felt a sense of _deja vu_ washing over him.

"You can see me, can't you?" It was the being he had only come to know about. He stands there, proudly, with hands shoved into his pocket and his ever calculating gaze that seemed to be focusing and scrutinizing him. It had taken a bit while to figure out what was going on, and when he did, he was quick to turn his head away and tried to pretend that that boy was not there by tuning him out.

"Oi. Are you listening?"

But it was hard; it was _difficult_ to ignore the loud ringings in his ear and especially when every fiber of his body, once again, was screaming for him to move. Yet he did not heed to his mind's instructions; he remained to be rooted to his spot, staying completely silent. No, Shoyo didn't dare to move even a single inch, he doesn't want to put himself at a risk, considering what happened the last time. In the end, he sits there on the bench, almost alike to a lifeless dummy as he mindlessly stared down at his lunch, his hunger forgotten and a familiar twist of gut taking its stead.

However, all common sense seemed to leave him when he sees one of his favorite treats being snatched away.

"Hey, what gives?! Don't just take other people's lunch as you'd like!" He shot up right onto the tip of his toes and bristled visibly at the other's face, the bento left to be forgotten.

"So, you can see me." The boy nonchalantly said, and it was this realization that made Shoyo stiffened. _Crap_ , his lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes widenedー it was a set up and he's been caught. "Uh." He started, looking anywhere else but the other's gaze. "Who said that?"

"Stop joking around." The stranger merely scowled in response, and Shoyo was quick to comply as he forced himself to meet him in the eye.

He was thrown into a panic mode, that itself should be understandable given how he's trembling at the moment. Shoyo never was one to be capable of handling his anxiety well, therefore, it was only natural that during the times like this, he felt incredibly nauseous and there was this need arising for him to empty his stomach as the situation progressed. Yet at the same time, Shoyo was also boldー in a _cowardly_ kind of way. After all, he never was the type of person who'd back down so easily.

"Whーwhat do y-you want?" He tried to act tough by puffing out his chest but miserably failed to do so when he reflexively moved back as the stranger had taken the initiative to near him.

"Don't tell meー!" He shouted out of nowhere, a hint of fear growing in the tone of his voice. "Pl-please don't eat me!"

"Who said anything about eating you, _stupid?"_ The man replied harshly with a huff in annoyance.

"Whatー" Did he just call him stupid? Shoyo was about to retort but was interrupted when the next statement caught him off guard.

"I'm here to ask you."

"A-ask me?"

"See them?" The raven asked, but there was something different about this tone than earlierー it was softer, quieter, almost like he was trying to whisper. He blinked confusedly, but the brunet paid the redhead no mind when he nudged his head to a certain direction, and it spent him a few seconds to come to be aware of the fact that he was trying to get him look to his behind.

And Shoyo did, reluctantly turning around only to frown, mostly because he sees no one around here. He felt confused at this point, and so he can't help but to quirk an eyebrow as he shot the latter a questioning gaze.

"Behind me?" He asked, not completely certain if he had looked into the right direction.

"Yes. They're not too far from you." The other replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Once again, the redhead whipped his head back to the side only to see that there was still no one in plain sight. "But I see nothing?!"

"What do you mean you see nothing? They're just there! Look more closely, idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot?!" He flared up in response. "The only people I see around here is _us."_

"... So, you can't see them?"

"Um... no?" He doesn't know what to say. So far, he just found himself dwelling deeper into a situation because this thing had decided to confront himー for what? He doesn't know either, he doesn't even understand him in the slightest.

Now that he was in a calmer state, although there still lingers a trace of anxiety swelling in his chest, he's finally able to look up at the other closely now they were at a near proximity.

As cheesy as it would sound, his eyes were definitely at the shade of an oceanー and in a way, it reminded him of the blooming mark that was imprinted on his collarbone. His face as defined as the last time he observed him cautiously, with the exemption that he was now able to trace a few bumps and curves that littered his skin along the way but that was a small flaw in comparison to the rest.

Oh, and he's tallー taller than him obviously by a good few inches and he feel both a little envious and mocked about his own height.

How the hell can someone who is not a human look this good? Yes, he does look good. If it wasn't for the constant constipated expression on his face.

"That's not possible." He heard the stranger muttered, effectively snapping him out of his trance, and he felt his face flushed at the actualization he actually thought that this boy was charming.

"What do you mean? I'm serious, there's no one else around!" He protested, almost sticking his face up close at the other.

"No, there is." Retorted the brunet, and if possible, his expression just turned more serious than ever. "You just can't see them which raises a big flag."

And Shoyo felt his face contorted at this.

"How is it that a measly human like you _can't_ see them but you can see me?"

He wished that this was nothing but a prank, a joke, anything but reality. It was all so surreal, yet the moment he saw how scrunched up the other's face was, and how serious he had been, it contradicted to what he believed in.

"Um." For the umpteenth time by then, Shoyo found himself being at loss of words. He shifted to the side, fingers uncontrollably twitchingー a habit that was often done when he found himself in a rather unpleasant situationー and tried to rack up his brain for the sake of understanding the situation.

"Iー I don't know what you're talking about." He truthfully admitted because well, just what does he mean by that? That he can see him but not the others?

He watched as the brunet was about to open his mouth, probably to answer him, but when he heard his name being called out by another voice, none of which belongs to them, "Hinata?" He perked up and immediately turned to see his long-awaited senior standing not too far and staring at him with a frown.

"Sugawara-senpai!" He yelped in surprise, turning around to face him properly.

"Who were you talking to?" Sugawara tilted his head.

Shoyo felt his blood run cold at that. He threw a look behind him, the unknown being exchanging glances between them.

 _Okay, act natural, **act natural.**_

"Ah? Oh, um, no one!" He perked up, a hand brushing through his unkempt hair as he released a shaky laughter.

"Is that so? But I thought I heard you talking to someone just now. And that laughter accounts for something." So much for trying to act natural. He felt the older male eyeing him some more, and Shoyo knew that he had to act fast before any further suspicions could occur. It was one of the things he'd rather not deal with, not at this kind of time.

"Um, t-that's because Iー I was mostly talking to myself!" He quickly replied, but maybe a little bit too loud and too fast since his upperclassman continued to stare at him for what seemed like an eternity.

"Hm, okay then." Sugawara shrugged before making his way towards him. Shoyo didn't even know how relieved he felt until he sensed a presence beside him.

"Are you ready?" He looked up to see the silver-haired smiling down at him and he did not falter to return the smile with a toothy grin of his.

"Ah, wait!" He rushed to the side to gather up his things and pack them back into his bag. "Yeah, I'm all ready!"

They headed their way out after that, Sugawara leading the path. But of course, he didn't forget about the conversation he just had with the controversial inhuman being whom stayed silent the whole time his silver-haired friend was there. The question kept replaying in his mind, however, even as he shot a look to his back, it lingered. He was not at all surprised to see those eyes staring back at him.

* * *

"Why are you _still_ following me?!" Shoyo fumed in anger, but given how he was being stalked for the past few days, it was an understatement that he'd be displeased. He attempted to muster the deadliest glare that he could shoot at the other entity, but it proved to be a failure for it made no impact on the male.

"Can't I?" He simply grunted, and Shoyo almost groaned in frustration for what was like the hundredth time that same week.

"Of course, you can't! You've been following me around for _days!_ "

As peculiar it may sound, it was no dramatic statement, but rather, he had said the truth; ever since that day where a confrontation had been carried out, the shorter male would find the other tailing him everywhere he goes ( to the library, the toilet even, and for a few times, he had to pretend that he isn't uncomfortable and that no one was watching him as he worked in his class. He might or might not have silently hoped that someone could point him out, then everyone actually could see him and then have their tutor escort him out of the class.

Unfortunately, this wasn't always the case. Yamaguchi didn't notice him neither did Tsukishima, and not even Yachi whom was one of the most creative people in his class.

No one saw him. )

No doubt, it would rub him off in a wrong way like any other ordinary person. Who wouldn't be put off if they were being stalked by some stranger, let alone a _non-human?_ Fortunately, it would appear that the stalking was only applicable whenever he was in the university campus. The only time the male no longer tread on his heels would be when he exits the area and heads to a place elsewhere. To put it in a more simple way, he only followed him around within the university but never outside of the campus. It piqued his curiosity, intriguing him but nonetheless, Shoyo felt relieved by the fact that at the very least, he wasn't followed all the way home.

That didn't make the situation any better though.

"Like seriously? You were already being a creep when youー!" His voice got louder, ready to scold the taller male even further but whatever words he wanted to spew died out and got caught up in his throat once he takes note of a female passerby briskly walking past him. He managed to capture the horrified look on her face when she saw him, and that itself was enough to make him know that, yes, she just witnessed the scene, and he couldn't but sheepishly rub at the back of his head and awkwardly smile at the retreating form of the girl.

He waited until she was gone, and after a few seconds of making sure no one else was around in the seemingly isolated hallway, he returned to glare at the taller male to which was gladly returned.

"Right. I forgot." Shoyo grimly said, "No one else can see you."

"No need to state the obvious, dumbass." The male snorted.

It wasn't long after that when Shoyo led them to a more secluded area where it was rarely used by any other people: the rooftop. The place was said to be haunted, and honestly although the idea of being in one terrified him, he's sure now that there was nothing else in the world that could ever beat the experience of meeting an actual entity from another world, whatmore that one time he was practically being stared down into the ground by one and turned him into dustー Shoyo shivered upon remembering it.

"Okay! Now that we're alone," Shoyo then turned, tapping his foot impatiently in expectation for answers. "Why were you stalking me?"

"Because I find it weirdー"

" _You're_ the one being weird!"

"Shut up, let me finishー I mean it's strange that you can see me but not them."

 ** _Them._**

Shoyo narrowed his eyes. If he could recall it correctly, he had also mentioned this a few days back then during their confrontation. His forehead crinkled, the creases being evident of that he was trying to think, trying to take a grasp of the scene. "You keep on saying _them_ but I don't even know who you're talking about." The redhead hastily replied, "Just who do you mean by **_them?"_**

The kind of answer that soon fell out of the other's mouth was not expected at all. "The beings of what you call the other world. Spirits, monsters, demons, angels."

 _The other world,_ his face slightly paled at that one particular phrase.

"O-oh?" He shuffled, not at all trying to sound fazed. "And you're not one of them?" It was a silly question, meticulous even, but he figured there was a possibility that the being might tell him what he actually was. Was he an anotherworld being like the book had said?

"Noー well, yes... No. Not exactly." Even then, he seemed quite unsure of himself. Shoyo had to stifle in incoherent noises that threatened to fall out of his lips. "Some of them can't see me which in return usually means that humans are not supposed to see me." Creep-headー Shoyo decided to call him that for nowー proceeded to say, and the redhead vaguely remembered the same thing being stated in the book. "So, it's unusual for you."

Shoyo almost rolled his eyes. How ironic, if anything, he's the one being unusual around here.

"Even so, that doesn't mean you should follow me, you creep!" Hinata blurted out the last part in the midst of his small outburst. He yelped, backing away immediately when he noticed the other's aura had darkened.

"W-what? You want to fight?" He puts up his fist at him.

"Dumbass."

"Stop calling me a dumbass!" He glared at him, his initial fear slowly waning away. "I have a name and it's Hinata Shoyo!"

"Hn." Hn? He just told him his name, and that was all he had to say?

Tilting his head to the side, Shoyo now wondered if thisー well, if the creep-head happened to have a name as well. He trudged closer to him, earning himself another glare from the other but Shoyo pretended to not notice it even if he felt another rack of chills rocking his frame.

"Hey, hey, do you have a name?" He looked up at him curiously.

Creep-head simply grunted, "Why do you even want to know?"

"Unless you want me to start calling you a _creep_ for following me around." Shoyo bluntly said, in hopes of coaxing him to tell.

Except, well, it didn't work much like he'd thought. The said boy had only begun to lean against the wall, grunting some more in response, and Shoyo pouted when naught but silence had been the only thing he receivedー like what? Was he actually content with being called a creep instead?

The redhead copied his movements by then, promptly taking a seat next to the latter as he slid down against the wall behind him. He lightly drums his fingers against his lap, a tune hummed under his breath all the while. Honestly, Shoyo isn't too sure of what else to do at the moment. At one second, that happened, and the next, something else entirely of another matter.

It was all happening a little too fast for him, and to be alone with something he thinks that he was terrified of, he wondered if this actually was the right decision for him to do. Albeit, he had to admit. For some reason, he does feel some sense of ease when he's next to this otherworldly being despite the heavy tension that lingered in the air between them.

Finally, after a long moment of silence and some time squirming in his seat, the peaceful ambiance was shattered by an awfully delayed answer. "Kageyama." He heard the other mumbled, but it had been loud enough to be heard clearly, and he snapped his head immediately to peer up at the taller male.

"Kageyamaー?" He repeated, though it sounded more of a question, waiting for him to continue. "That's _all?"_

"I don't remember my full name." Kageyama bluntly said in return, and Shoyo could only look at him aghast because he had just said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Shoyo's lips pressed firmly, and though he was about question him on what exactly he meant by thatー wow, how crazy is it that someone doesn't remember their own name?ー alas, he decided to hold his tongue and refrained from saying anything. Maybe he'll ask some another time.

"So... What are you actually? You said that you're notー well, _one_ of them."

"I'm not."

"Then what makes you different?" Shoyo continued to stare at him.

"I just am." Kageyama shrugged, and as expected, the answer did nothing to satisfy the little one's curiosity even in the slightest.

The silence prolonged with the awkward atmosphere returned once again, but the tension between them seemed to have lessen and knowing this brought him some comfort. Shoyo settled to fix his gaze on the concrete pavement before him, and although he was no longer shifting around like a worm, his hands remained to fidget.

"You don't seem scared anymore." Kageyama's voice piped up all of the sudden, catching his attention.

Shoyo scrunched his eyebrows. "Hah?"

"I mean," Kageyama repeated once more, "You always look like you've seen a ghost when you're with me, but now, you don't look like that anymore."

Oh, who would have known?

Who would have known that no matter how attractive a person looked, they could also be stupid? Yes, he might be bad when it comes to doing mathematics or memorizing stuffs, but at the very least, he has some common sense when a situation called for it, and for goodness' sake, even he knows that it was completely out of topic to stalk someone without any apparent reason unless it was for an intention of having the police called on them. Unluckily for him, calling the police wouldn't work in his case.

"Obviously, Bakageyama?!" He nearly screeched, his tone a mixture of disbelief and stupefied, "I thought youー well, you're _like_ a ghost! No one else can see you! Heck, these things don't normally happen to people, you know?!" Shoyo exclaimed, flaunting his arms about in order to prove his point even further. "And it's all just like _ueggghhhhh_ and _huahhh_ , like come on, why wouldn't I be scared when Iー"

"Are you still scared?"

Cut off in the mid of his sentence, the redhead blinked. In fact, it's more like that he was very much taken aback by a question, one that he had least anticipated.

Is he _still_ scared? He bit his lip at the thought.

Well, the first few times especially after the discovery being made, then of course, he obviously was scared. But that was sometime ago, and the question was whether he was still scared at this very moment or not. It could be argued that he was, given that it's... well, a spirit-like creature, but on the other hand, after his early confrontation, he actually found that Kageyama wasn't exactly as scary as he thought. Well, okayー maybe he is still scary but so far, he hasn't done anything much to terrify him.

"Uh, no?" He hesitantly answered, "I... I don't know. But I have this tiny bit of feeling that I can trust you."

Yes, he just said. He had this feeling that he could trust Kageyama even if he doesn't know him all too well. It was crazy, but there was something tugging at him, pulling him with a little whisper that tells him to have some little faith in the other. There was no reply from the brunet after his proclamation. That is, until he heard a shuffle from his side.

"Kageyama?" Shoyo blinked when he sees the latter straightening into an up-right position. However, Kageyama said nothing but proceeded to stand in front of the redhead. Right in front of him. Shoyo felt a tightening in his chest, a familiar sense of anxiety overcoming him when he sees the other starting to lower himself, and lower, and lower-

"See. You're still scared."

And then he snapped his eyes open, which was weird because he didn't remember he had his eyes closed nor did he remember tightly clutching onto the hem of his cloth. He propped his chin up, enamored by the view that stood close before him and he finds himself staring into those blue eyes again. Then all of the sudden, he feels warmth prickling at his skin underneath his scarf.

"You're _still_ scared." Kageyama repeated, and he sees the way how he slightly knit his brows, noticed how his eyes had slightly dimmed and how his head droop a little lower than before. "Of me, on top of that. What did you think I was about to do to you? How can you trust me when you barely know who I am or what I am?"

There was a little fire ignited in the redhead's expression at the last statement. "I-it's not like I want to!" He clenched his fist, sticking his face up almost close to the other's as Kageyama backed away, surprise written all over his face. They both got up; one analyzing him with caution, and another staring back at him with a defying gaze. "I don't know why, but I just have this gut feeling that I could trust you and besides," He pouted, "You're leaving me with no other choice!"

"I'm leaving you no other choice?" Kageyama scoffed. "Don't be an idiot."

"I mean, sure, you act like a total jerk and a creep for following me around, and also, you're _not_ a human. But..." Shoyo allowed himself to take in a deep breath, his astonished state from before slowly being replaced by one of determination, "I'm giving you a chance, all right? That's my decision."

"... That was a terrible decision." Kageyama looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"Well," Shoyo smiled faintly. "Let's hope that it isn't."

As if on cue, they both heard a bell rang from the school building, signalling for the next period to begin.

"Ah! My class is starting!" Shoyo frantically gushed about, taking off in an instant and headed for the door. However, he paused the moment he remembered something. He threw a glance over his shoulder, a questioning gaze given to the brunet whom merely raised a brow at him back, "... Are you going to follow me again?"

Although Kageyama never did respond to his question, Shoyo gets his answer when he trailed after him to his class not so long after that.

* * *

 _forgive me for making this short, I just wanted to update this story as soon as I can! like SMH, college is making me real busy so, expect an update in another month or two? It all depends on my mood tbh._


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